About

CARE is a Domestic Violence Post Arrest Response Team and the only post-arrest response team for victims/survivors of domestic violence in Lansing, Lansing Township, Meridian Township, East Lansing and on the campus of Michigan State University. A staff member or a team of two volunteers responds to victims at their homes or places of employment, the hospital, or local police department to provide crisis intervention, safety planning, and information about area resources. CARE is available Monday-Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. A staff member responds to calls received between 1:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. the following day.

Follow up occurs after the initial response to provide victims with an opportunity to ask additional questions or obtain further services. When no arrest is made, staff members follow up with victims by phone. CARE greatly reduces the isolation and confusion experienced by many victims of domestic violence. Many people have no one to talk to about the abuse they are experiencing, do not know their options, and do not know what is going to happen once the police have been called. All CARE services are free and confidential.

CARE was founded in 1996. The four staff members on the team are the CARE Coordinator, Follow-Up Advocacy Coordinator/Volunteer Coordinator, Evening Advocate, and MSU Safe Place/CARE Advocate. Three of the four CARE positions are funded by Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funds, disseminated through the Michigan Crime Victims Services Commission, Michigan Department of Community Health. Michigan State University Safe Place provides the opportunity for the MSU Safe Place/CARE Advocate to split her time between the two programs in order to identify MSU-affiliated victims of domestic violence.

In addition to working closely with local police departments and MSU Safe Place, CARE has collaborative relationships with the Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office, 54A District Court Probation, End Violent Encounters (the Lansing domestic violence program) and many other agencies. The four staff members typically respond to over 1,500 victims per year, either in person or by telephone.